


Actions and Consequences

by Fluffysminion



Series: Arrival of the Azure Wanderer [3]
Category: Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Carbonek, Feral World, Ghoul, Monster - Freeform, Mutation Stage: Five, The Tall and the Smalls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24270274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffysminion/pseuds/Fluffysminion
Summary: Releasing the monster back into the wild doesn't mean everything immediately returns to normal.
Series: Arrival of the Azure Wanderer [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1751956
Kudos: 2





	1. FML

Karger sits against a tree while around him Nikota splits up to try to pick up Jaspar’s scent. They have returned to where he fell, there are no ships or talking skulls this time, but less fortunately also no Jaspar.

“I dun’t understand! He didn’t go anywh’re, but he’s not here!” All of her noses are twitching and waving back and forth but none are moving with any sense of direction.

“I dun’t know what t’skull might’ve dun, magic’r otherwise. But t’s alright my sweet.” He gestures for her to sit next to him instead of scattering further, which she reluctantly does. “He dusn’t get lost. W’mayn’t know where he is but he’ll find us f’sure.”

The last few rats return to Nikota and they are both struck with a sense of wrongness. They cling to each other as the air before them shivers and glows; and Jaspar reappears in the exact place he vanished from.

But a lot has changed since they last saw him. This Jaspar has deep, fresh burns across his body and legs, his face is red and swollen, and his arms are almost completely covered with spray-on dressings. He isn’t moving.

“Jaspar!” Nikota poured forwards as Karger shakily climbed to his feet, leaning on the tree for support whenever his back threatened to give.

“He’s alive! His chest’s moving.” She was shaking him to no effect when Karger joined her, even waving blood past his nose was failing to wake him up. “They must’f drugged’m again.”

“He can’t stay like this ‘til he comes round, it’s too cold. He’ll get sick.” He looks over the sprawl of Jaspar’s very large, almost naked body. “Dun’t think we c’n move ‘m though.”

“Maybe, t’s not far.” Nikota shifts around to get a better grip on Jaspar’s shoulder and attempts to drag him, she manages to roll him onto his back but no further.

Karger shakes his head. “What happened t’his coat?”

Nikota gives moving him one last try before giving up. “Oh, he must’ve taken it off before biting t’metal man. He does hate getting it dirty.” Karger looks at her expectantly, but it takes quite a lot of looking before she understands. “Oh right, I’ll go get it.”

Karger sits beside Jaspar’s ribcage, finding somewhere to rest his hand between the burns and developing bruises. He doesn’t want to think about what could have caused such injuries. There was little on world that could hurt Jaspar, and Nikota had started to believe that he was invincible.

The rain starts, and Karger huddles closer for his own comfort as well as his friend’s. Nikota returns struggling with Jaspar’s coat, it’s too bulky for her to hold all of it and the trailing parts keep snagging on everything. But spreading it over him is something Karger can help with, and soon they are both sheltering underneath it.

Jaspar’s breathing becomes shallower and less even as he starts to come round, and he groans as he approaches consciousness.

Nikota springs up and leans anxiously over Jaspar’s face“Y’alright? How’re y’feeling?”

He groans some more before murmuring faintly “Hungry…”

Nikota’s excitement drains away. “That’s not funny Jaspar. I meant apart from that, obviously.”

“Ha.” He winces, stopping him from laughing any more. “Dreadful, how do you think I feel?”

Karger crawls out from under the furs, all of his joints stiff from the cold. All the more reason to get Jaspar inside as soon as possible. “Nikota, go get your friend from the village and make sure she brings her tools f’large things. I’ll get ‘m inside.”

Nikota nods and leaves in a hurry, glad to be doing something useful. Jaspar is still lying on his back looking dazed. Karger puts a hand on his face to gently get his attention. “’M sorry Lud, but y’can’t stay out here an’ I can’t help y’move.” He runs the hand through Jaspar’s hair. “W’tried t’move yer but… ‘m ‘fraid yer goin’ t’have t’walk.”

“You can say it, I’m too big. Urrrgh.” He tries to sit up but gives up half-way and flops back down, forcing Karger to jump out of the way.

“’M sorry Lud…”

“It’s not your fault I’m like this. But I’ll manage, don’t worry.” Jaspar smiles in a way that is meant to be encouraging, but Karger is more worried about his shivering and ragged breathing. He lies staring up at the rain as Karger hovers nervously, then adds “You may want to move, I don’t want to… er, fall on you.”

Karger takes a step back, and decides Jaspar looks like he isn’t at risk of just passing out again. He goes on ahead leaving Jaspar plenty of room to manoeuvre his antlers around the trees. The rain is light but persistent, and though Karger keeps moving the trees keep managing to find the back of his neck to vindictively pour water down.

Jaspar slowly sits up, groaning. Despite his injuries he lifts the coat with ease, though putting it on is harder. But Karger doesn’t need to tell him that he’s the only way that’s getting back as well.

One of his legs refuses to hold his weight when he first tries to stand, but after a few more attempts he makes it to his feet. It is not far to their home, but Karger ends up walking several times the distance as he goes back and forth trying to stay close enough to talk but out of danger should Jaspar fall as he stumbles from tree to tree.

Rather than lean on the rough stone walls Jaspar crawls inside, and with a deep sigh collapses dramatically into bed. Remaining there unmoving, catching his breath while Karger stokes the fire. It takes an impressive blaze to heat the cavern, and the fire had burned low while they were away. Karger grunts in exertion as he drags logs to the fireplace, this is normally Jaspar’s job, and the wood is sized appropriately.

“Can I help you with that? You look like you’re struggling.” Jaspar has turned his head to watch Karger work, eyes wide with concern.

“No Lud!” He chuckles. “Y’jus stay there an’ try n’t t’do anymore damage t’y’self.”

Jaspar closes his eyes and nods, seemingly relieved not to have to move. With a few more logs the fire is burning a lot warmer, though the room is still cool. Jaspar is still shivering.

Karger climbs inside Jaspar’s coat, there’s enough space for him to lie between Jaspar’s arm and his chest to keep him warm until the fire gets going. Jaspar hugs him tighter, and gently takes Karger’s hand in the palm of his own. His breathing stutters, and he starts to sob.

“T’s alright Lud, y’dun’t need t’talk about it.” He squeezes Jaspar’s thumb reassuringly. “We’re jus’ glad yer back.”

“So am I.” Jaspar starts crying properly then. “I thought I’d never see you again.” He nuzzles the top of Karger’s head, unable to kiss since the loss of his lips.

Karger knows he should clean and dress Jaspar’s wounds, but with Jaspar clinging to him tightly and weeping he’s not able to move. He’s exhausted too, and all his intentions and plans can’t stop him falling asleep now he’s safe and dry and warm.


	2. Burned Down to Ashes

Renris has too much to do, everyone that was returned does. The rain has only slowed the fires, and even away from the worst of it the air is thick, choking, and hazy. The longfurs have all stampeded, either lost or crushed in the panic. The huntingcats too are absent, those that fled have yet to return, and the ones that stayed to defend their masters had been killed. This blood-soaked fur had once been Kranair’s prized queen, mother or grandmother of most of the cats in the village. Her wounds were straightforward, if she’d been released earlier Renris is certain she could have saved her.

But there’s no time to linger on the dead. She stands and moves to the next body, one of last year’s kittens, not yet full size, missing half his face and throat, no need for her to check for signs of life.

“Renris!” Nikota is running out of the smoke waving her arms, her expression one of pure panic.

“Nikota!” Renris runs to meet her, pulling her into an embrace before releasing the struggling swarm. “I was so worried! When you weren’t in the cell those monsters put us in I hoped you’d escaped but I feared the worst… I’m so glad you’re ok.”

Nikota shows none of her friend’s elation at their reunion. “Y’ave t’help. T’s important, please.” Her black eyes are large with the pleading she lacks the words to express.

It’s not hard for Renris to guess what has happened. She knows Nikota lives out in the woods with her father, Karger, and that the two of them are very close. The world is burning and all the animals she has found so far have been dead, but she might still be able to save a life. She grabs her bag – mostly filled with equipment for treating livestock but it will have to do – and gestures for Nikota to lead the way.

They move fast, the fires and the alien’s weapons had destroyed most of the briars and undergrowth. The trees are blackened and fractured, they wade through the ashen debris in grim silence swapping the toolbag between them as they start to tire. Deep wounds have been inflicted on the landscape, and Nikota frequently takes them down into them to avoid the places where the fires still burn and the smoke is too thick to breathe. The rain washes the soil from the land’s exposed bones, terrible injuries that scare Renris even more than the alien’s rampage in town.

What information she can get from Nikota, when they are not too awed by the destruction to speak, she can make little sense of. Renris herself knows no words to convey the scale of the destruction so it is little surprise that the foreign hunter can’t find any in her limited vocabulary. Her fear and despair are evident but beyond that it’s big, important, linked to the forest’s fate more deeply than being a consequence of it.

The damage gets worse. Renris wouldn’t have believed it could, but here the trees are not just burnt but shattered, and the ground is torn up by all the footprints. The air is a mix of alien and familiar scents, some of which are as painful to breathe in as the smoke. Dead animals litter the floor, bodies full of shards of metal.

“In here.” Nikota pulls her into a cave where the smells of smoke and alien weaponry are replaced with animal musk and a sickly smell of congealed blood and wounds gone bad.

Before her is an immense mound of fur, crowned with antlers so wide that each one was larger than a man. It rises and falls unevenly, the chamber echoing with the sound of heavy, laboured breathing.

“He tried t’stop ‘em, t’stop t’fire…” Nikota takes her hand and pulls her towards it. “Please…”

As they approach Renris can see that the fur is patchwork, and she starts to recognise some of the pelts. She slows, unsure what she’s looking at and not certain she wants to get any closer. Nikota notices the resistance and stops with her.

“He won’t hurt yer.” She lets go of Renris’ wrist and steps around to meet her eyes. “He’s big, scary. But safe. He’s family.”

“What… is he?” Renris whispers, not completely trusting Nikota’s assessment.

“He’s father, from above?” Her gestures communicate nothing more than her frustration. “He’s gud, he looks after me. Tries t’look after ev’ryone. An’ he’s bad hurt, very bad. Please help.”

Nikota’s words are still confusing, but her desperation comes across. Renris follows Nikota around to the other side of the creature, but freezes in shock when she gets a better view. It, he? has a disturbingly human face, distorted by size and heavy scaring. Most of the lower half is missing entirely, teeth like a longtooth but many many times the size.

“His name’s Jaspar. Please will y’help him?” She looks down at her hands, rats washing nervously. “T’s my fault. I didn’t mean f’them t’hurt ‘m or t’hurt t’forest. An’ now they’re hurt, and he might die an’…” Her voice cracks but doesn’t break. “I can’t lose ‘m.”

Renris stares at the face, the fangs, the scars, the sheer size of it. She is terrified, and every instinct she has is telling her to get as far away as possible. But she’s never seen Nikota that upset. And she’s trusted her this far. “Show me what’s wrong, I’ll do what I can.”


	3. Awake and Helpless

Jaspar comes around slowly, awareness returning in drips and drabs. The first sensations are uncomfortable, painful even. Like the skin on his arm is being peeled off. There is something in his mouth too, which only reminds him of how sick he feels. He spits it out, spluttering. He opens his eyes to see Karger, clutching his hand. It’s covered in saliva.

“Where’s Nikota?” Dread seizes him. His stomach churns, _as if it was full of rats_. He throws up.

“Woah, woah! I’m here, t’s alright!” It’s Nikota’s voice, and rats flow into his palm. But his body is moving automatically, his hands balling into fists as he is sick again. The forced movement has the rest of him in agony, if he has hurt anyone with his convulsions, he is unable to tell through the pain.

It continues for a long time after there is nothing left to bring up, but eventually he is left gasping and limp and if the pain isn’t getting better at least it has stopped getting worse. He is soaked but can barely open his eyes, even as he hears the sounds of running fading into the distance.

Alone. He moans in despair, trying and failing to rise. Then there is a hand on his face, fingers running through his hair.

“Y’re safe now, Lud. Y’dun’t need t’panic, y’can stop, t’s alright.” Karger’s voice is soft, calm. “We’ll look after yer, y’know that.”


	4. Outside Context

Renris slumps to the ground outside, taking deep breaths of the fresh air. She notices now, as she tries to distract herself from what she just saw, that the trampled mud around the cave entrance is full of crushed flowers. The remains of a garden.

“Y’re still here?” Nikota sounds surprised but pleased. “Most people dun’t stop runnin’, when they find out what he eats.”

Renris isn’t sure what to say, she isn’t sure what to think. Her world has already been shattered by the senseless attack of the men from the sky, the beastman in the woods should be a minor thing in comparison. But she can’t stop seeing the mangled fingers, the buttons and buckles in the beast’s stomach contents.

“T’was one’f them, if th’t helps. The blue men.” Nikota sighs as she slides down the wall to sit beside her. “’M sorry t’ask this’f you but I dun’t know what t’do.”

They sit in silence as Renris tries to make sense of what she’s seen. “That was their language you spoke in there wasn’t it? The blue men’s?”

“T’s not theirs. But t’s the same. Jaspar… He’s from t’same place. I don’t know how t’explain, I don’t know t’words.” She flails in frustration. “But he’s not one of them. When he sees what they’ve done, when he gets better, he’ll kill them. He’ll kill them all.”

“You think he can stop this?” The scale of the destruction seems hopeless. Like a scene from the fall.

“Yes.” She doesn’t hesitate. “T’s why he’s here. His purpose is t’protect order. He only eats people that have done bad. And he’s very good at it.”

Renris stands up, the conditions outside are starting to bother her more than what she saw inside. “You don’t have to convince me again.”


End file.
